The Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defense is one of the most feared variations in chess! GM Jan Timman once said that he would never want to get into the Dragon, from either side! World Champion Garry Kasparov had never used the Dragon before his 1995 title defense match against Vishy Anand, but then played it several times against Anand, winning some crushing victories, which is the main reason Kasparov is still World Champion today!
The Dragon is part of the Open Sicilian, and arises after the moves 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6!, and gets its name from Black's pawn structure, which resembles (to some) the scales on a dragon's back. Against the Dragon, White's three main choices are (a) the Levenfish 6 f4, with the idea of a quick e4-e5, although this is rarely seen these days, (b) the Classical 6 Be2, planning to castle kingside, and play for central control ultimately with f2-f4, and (c) the Yugoslav Attack, starting with either 6 Be3 or 6 f3, where White plans to castle Queenside and launch his kingside pawns forward to storm the fianchetto protecting the Black king. The amazing tactical lines which most people associate with the Dragon Variation stem from the Yugoslav Attack.
"THE KING
The King himself is haughtie care,
Which ouerlooketh all his men,
And when he seeth how they fare,
He steps among them now and then,
Whom when his foe presumes to checke,
His seruants stand, to giue the necke.
THE QUEENE
The Queene is queint, and quicke conceit,
Which makes her walke which way she list,
Ans rootes them up, that lie in wait,
To worke hir treason ere she wist:
Hir force is such against her foes,
That whom she meets, she ouerthrowes...
THE PAWNES
The Rookes poore Pawnes, are sillie swaines,
Which seldom serue, except by hap,
and yet those Pawns, can lay their traines,
To catch a great man, in a trap:
So that I see, sometime a groome
May not be spared from his roome.
THE KNIGHT
The Knight is knowledge how to fight
against his Princes enimies,
He neuer makes his walke outright,
But leaps and skips, in wilie wise,
To take by sleight a traitrous foe,
Might slilie seek their ouerthrowe.
THE BISHOP
The Bishop he is wittie braine,
That chooseth crossest pathes to pace,
And euermore he pries with paine,
To see who seekes him most disgrace:
Such straglers when he findes astaie,
He takes them up, and throws awaie.
THE ROOKES
The Rookes are reason on both sides,
Which keepe the corner houses still,
And warily stand to watch their tides,
By secret art to worke thier will,
To take sometime a theefe unseen,
Might mischiefe mean to King or Queene."
The King himself is haughtie care,
Which ouerlooketh all his men,
And when he seeth how they fare,
He steps among them now and then,
Whom when his foe presumes to checke,
His seruants stand, to giue the necke.
THE QUEENE
The Queene is queint, and quicke conceit,
Which makes her walke which way she list,
Ans rootes them up, that lie in wait,
To worke hir treason ere she wist:
Hir force is such against her foes,
That whom she meets, she ouerthrowes...
THE PAWNES
The Rookes poore Pawnes, are sillie swaines,
Which seldom serue, except by hap,
and yet those Pawns, can lay their traines,
To catch a great man, in a trap:
So that I see, sometime a groome
May not be spared from his roome.
THE KNIGHT
The Knight is knowledge how to fight
against his Princes enimies,
He neuer makes his walke outright,
But leaps and skips, in wilie wise,
To take by sleight a traitrous foe,
Might slilie seek their ouerthrowe.
THE BISHOP
The Bishop he is wittie braine,
That chooseth crossest pathes to pace,
And euermore he pries with paine,
To see who seekes him most disgrace:
Such straglers when he findes astaie,
He takes them up, and throws awaie.
THE ROOKES
The Rookes are reason on both sides,
Which keepe the corner houses still,
And warily stand to watch their tides,
By secret art to worke thier will,
To take sometime a theefe unseen,
Might mischiefe mean to King or Queene."
"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before the defeat."
- Sun Tzubefore
